Marital Conflict, Parent-Child Relations, and Youth Maladjustment

Abstract

Contemporaneous and longitudinal associations among marital conflict, parentchild relationship quality, and youth maladjustment were examined using data from the National Survey of Families and Households.Analyses were based on 551 married families with a child age 5 to 11 years at Wave 1. The concurrent association between marital conflict and youth externalizing problems at both waves was mediated completely at Wave 1 and partially at Wave 2 by harsh discipline and parent-youth conflict. The concurrent association between marital conflict and internalizing problems at both waves was mediated partially through parent-youth conflict. Longitudinal mediating effects were detected through stable marital conflict over 5 years and through its connection with parent-youth conflict. Findings delineate areas of specificity and stability in marital conflict processes as children transition from middle childhood through adolescence.

Predictors of Delinquency among Adolescents of Divorced Families

“…There is considerable evidence that 8 to 15 percent of parents continue their conflict 2 to 3 years after divorce (Kelly, 2000;Kelly, 2003;King & Heard, 1999). Numerous scholars asserted that parental conflict is significantly related to adolescents' delinquent behavior (Cui et al, 2007;Gerard et al, 2006;Housknecht & Hango, 2006;Krishnakumar, Buehler, & Barber, 2003;Sabour Esmaeili & Yaacob, 2011). Krishnakumar et al (2003) addressed the importance of parental conflict when examining its association with behavior problems in a sample of 542 European-American and 150 African-American youth aged 10 to 18 years old.…”

“…Krishnakumar et al (2003) asserted that parental conflict relates to youth externalizing problem behaviors through poor parental monitoring, low maternal acceptance, and higher levels of parent-youth conflict. Gerard et al (2006) in a longitudinal study examined the association between parental conflict and youth maladjustment. They found that parental conflict was related to negative parent-adolescent relationship, harsh discipline, and less parental involvement which contribute to externalizing behavior problems.…”

“…Studies showed that divorce and its stress lead to increased parental psychological distress which may influence parenting (Vandervalk et al, 2004) and parental relationship with children and adolescents (Amato, 2003;Gerard et al, 2006;Shelton & Harold, 2008). Disruption in parent-adolescents relationship, less monitoring, and inconsistent discipline are the key mechanisms that place adolescents at greater risk for maladjustment, internalizing and externalizing behavior problems (Roustit et al, 2007;Shelton & Harold, 2008).…”

Post-Divorce Parental Conflict and Adolescents’ Delinquency in Divorced Families

“…Growing body of literature has found the association between parental conflict and adolescent behavior problems. These researches emphasized that when children and adolescents are exposed to frequent, intense, and unresolved parental conflict, they exhibit more externalizing symptoms such as delinquency (Kelly, 2000;Schickedanz et al, 2001;Demuth & Brown, 2004;Dekovic et al, 2004;Davies & Lindsay, 2004;Gerard et al, 2006;Housknecht & Hango, 2006;Cui et al, 2007).…”

“…Post-divorce parental conflict is an important predictor for the development of behavioral, social and emotional problems in children and adolescents (Amato & Keith, 1991;Emery, 1999;Grych, & Fincham, 2001;Arnett, 2004;Davies & Lindsay, 2004;Gerard et al, 2006;Houseknecht & Hongo, 2006;Cui et al, 2007;Kim et al, 2008). More generally, children and adolescents whose parents have high level of conflict following divorce are less well adjusted to their parental divorce (Amato, 2000).…”